Chapter 233: Polar Opposites (3)
Chapter 233: Polar Opposites (3)
Seo-yeon looked over the revised script.
The filming of Gyeongseong Lady had been progressing quite smoothly so far. In such a situation, receiving a script like this was a rather special occurrence.
‘Still, it’s not exactly an unusual situation.’
In film production, scripts are often changed multiple times depending on various circumstances. Sometimes, several versions of the same scene are filmed to account for different possibilities. There are even times when multiple scripts exist simultaneously, occasionally written by entirely different writers.
Of course, this wasn't something Seo-yeon had much personal experience with, but it was a trial that veteran actors frequently endured.
‘Fortunately, it’s just an added scene.’
When an existing scene is changed, the emotional arc often shifts with it, requiring the actor to find a new emotional baseline. However, this was purely an addition.
‘...A bit of action has been added?’
When she glanced at Director Baek Min, she saw him smirk. He had likely realized immediately what her look meant. He then made a throwing motion with his hand.
‘Is he talking about the scene where I threw Jo Seo-hee?’
That entirely ad-libbed moment must have left a deep impression on him. Consequently, the character of Yuina seemed to have shifted from a simple high-born lady to someone from a family with a distinct yakuza vibe.
In other words, Yuina’s character setting had been partially modified.
‘Considering what she does in the story, being from a yakuza background actually feels more natural.’
Thinking about it, Yuina’s goal was to use Yeon Seon-ye to find the location of the Amanabi family’s hidden fortune—which Michiko was concealing—and the key to get there. Her second goal was to kill Michiko.
Looking at these two objectives alone, Yuina being from a yakuza family was perfectly plausible. This meant there would be additional scenes to film for the beginning of the movie, but that wouldn't be particularly difficult. It was an added setting that made it more believable for Yuina to be much stronger when she eventually fought Michiko.
She just hadn't expected this change to come up during their first shoot in Japan.
"Seo-yeon, have you checked the script?"
As she finished reviewing and memorizing the script, several actors participating in this shoot approached her.
"There isn't a lot of action, but since some was added, I think we should coordinate our movements. Is that okay?"
"Don't action scenes usually require more practice?"
"Ah, as you can see, the scene isn't anything too grand."
True, looking at the script, it wasn't something that required intense choreography; it was more of a minor scuffle for Yuina.
"Besides, the stunt actors will handle the actual action parts anyway."
Behind the smiling actor who said this stood several Caucasian actors. They appeared to be stunt actors brought in from within Japan.
Stella’s role was that of a wealthy Western merchant’s daughter. Though she was set up as Michiko’s friend, she was a character who eventually betrayed her.
...Even so, her screen time was incredibly brief. For a cameo, the character setting was exceptionally detailed, but in the end, it was just a minor role.
Given that background, her bodyguards and subordinates were all foreigners. Since the Korean crew couldn't easily bring such actors with them, they had to seek cooperation locally in Japan. Fortunately, there were many Caucasian actors in Japan, so it wasn't difficult to find them. Incidentally, they were all stunt actors.
"Seo-yeon, I've heard the stories."
"Pardon?"
As she watched them, the male actor who had first spoken to her gave a mischievous grin.
"I heard that at Cheonghong Action School, the stunt actors tremble whenever they see you?"
"..."
"They say it's like being caught in a tiger's jaws? Performing action sequences with you, I mean."
"That’s a huge exaggeration."
"Is it? I could’ve sworn I saw someone flying through the air when I went there to learn action acting..."
"That was an accident..."
How could a person "accidentally" fly through the air? Seo-yeon closed her mouth before she could say more. She felt that continuing the conversation would only result in damaging her own dignity.
‘I need to be moderately strong.’
Seo-yeon sighed inwardly. When she was younger, her strength was simply at the level of an adult male, but now it felt like she was crossing a line. Her appearance was one thing, but why was she given this level of physical ability? Had her habit of calling it a "matchless TS body" actually made it matchless?
"Anyway, I'm just joking. I'm actually looking forward to seeing those guys get handled."
He gestured to Seo-yeon, as he had mentioned, to coordinate their movements for the action scene.
‘Filming feels a bit more delayed than usual.’
That was likely because Stella needed time to check the script. Even though it was a minor role, because it was her role, there were many lines for that specific scene. That might be why it was taking time.
‘But looking at the amount of paper she’s holding, it doesn't look like she just received a script.’
Seo-yeon glanced toward Stella. The stack of papers in her hand was far too thick to be just a script for her part. She was likely reading through the entire plot of Gyeongseong Lady up to this point. All for the sake of filming a single scene.
And just as Seo-yeon suspected...
‘It starts with Yuina giving Yeon Seon-ye a certain commission.’
What Stella was reading was the overall storyline of Gyeongseong Lady. It was a summary of everything that had happened leading up to the scene she was about to film.
The movie begins like this:
While walking through the streets of Gyeongseong, Kasugayama Yuina realizes that the long pipe she always carries has disappeared. Suddenly, she recalls a woman who had brushed past her. It happened in a literal flash. A woman who had stolen her possession in a moment so brief that even Yuina hadn't noticed.
Yuina was not the type to endure having something stolen from her, so she ordered Isamu to capture the woman. However, Isamu smiled and told Yuina that he already knew the woman. In fact, the woman who stole the pipe was someone Goto Isamu had already been keeping an eye on. Isamu had ordered the woman to steal Yuina’s pipe—to demonstrate her skills to Yuina.
As proof, Isamu presented the stolen pipe to Yuina.
"What is your aim, Isamu?"
"That woman is the thief who will reclaim what you have lost, Milady."
That is how the movie begins. Isamu and Yeon Seon-ye already had a separate relationship. Yuina came after. But their goal was the same—until their relationship began to change midway through.
‘Interesting.’
Stella smiled as she read the scenario. When she closed her eyes, the described scenes appeared vividly in her mind. Yuina, struggling to reclaim what Michiko had taken from her. And Michiko, who couldn't care less about what Yuina desired. Yeon Seon-ye, moving between the two of them.
It was ironic that the person who gradually became "truly" precious to both of them was someone they had met by mere chance. Furthermore, from Yeon Seon-ye’s perspective, the two sides were victim and perpetrator, respectively. Despite their different positions, they were gradually becoming the same.
Yuina tried to use Yeon Seon-ye to dig up Michiko’s secrets, while Michiko slowly fell for Yeon Seon-ye, eventually realizing her true motives for approaching her. Yet, Michiko did not let it show, despite the sense of betrayal and deep conflict.
‘And Yuina.’
To Yuina, Yeon Seon-ye was a mere pawn, but that began to change. And the scene added today was a device to maximize those emotions in Yuina.
‘It was originally there, but do they intend to make it more intense because of my role?’
The initial plan seemed focused more on the relationship between Michiko and Yeon Seon-ye, but now Yuina’s importance had grown. They were likely trying to push a love triangle to the forefront rather than just a pure romance between two people. Since the previous scene had significantly deepened the bond between Michiko and Yeon Seon-ye, this scene was meant to elevate the relationship between Yuina and Yeon Seon-ye.
And in this scene, the character Stella played was a mere disposable tool. A plausible explanation was attached, but she was just a plot device. A world-class actress appearing as a cameo, only to be treated as such.
She liked that very much.
『It looks like filming is about to begin.』
Asher Baldwin spoke after she had read the storyline of Gyeongseong Lady several times.
『Can you really do this?』
Stella smiled at his question. He was asking if she could truly pull off this performance. And whether she could or couldn't wasn't up to Stella herself. It depended on whether the other actors could truly perform.
『Yes, I can.』
Stella looked away from the script and stared ahead. The faces of the people around her seemed to float in the air like wax figures. In her vision, people were like mannequins. Some had faces, some didn't. Mannequins, regardless.
Among them, there were those who appeared clearly. The actors dressed for the shoot. Some were mannequins, and some were not.
‘Ju Seo-yeon.’
The actress her father, Asher Baldwin, was interested in. She stood there not as a mannequin, but as 'Kasugayama Yuina.' The actress beside her was also there as 'Yeon Seon-ye,' though she was a bit blurry.
To Stella, reality was merely a colorless space. A horrific world inhabited by mannequins. But how beautiful were the humans living in the world of fiction?
Characters. Not humans, but beings created by imagination. Lives that existed only on paper, causing her no harm.
Stella had met Seo-yeon simply because of the interest Asher Baldwin had shown. But now, it was different. She was likely thinking about Seo-yeon more deeply than Asher was.
From that first moment she saw her in front of the Korean broadcasting station.
‘I could see you clearly from the very beginning.’
Black hair and pale skin. Eyes with a reddish tint. They had definitely been red when she was in character—was it lenses? It didn't matter.
What mattered was that Stella could look Seo-yeon straight in the eye. In a world where everything was flat, only Seo-yeon appeared vivid.
‘Right. You’re the same, aren't you? You’re constantly dressing yourself up as a character, even in your daily life.’
She understood now why Asher Baldwin said they were alike. Seo-yeon lived her life in this world as an actress, just like her. That was why she was special.
‘You belong in the same world as me.’
Stella set the script aside and stood up. Filming was about to start, and she needed to get into position.
‘Just like what you did to the other actors in Japan.’
Just as Asher Baldwin had been astonished by her. Just as Stella had been drawn to Korea after seeing Seo-yeon’s acting. If Seo-yeon could achieve that as a cameo, Stella would do the same. She would show Seo-yeon a performance right here that would make Seo-yeon come looking for her.
‘Yes, absolutely.’
Stella covered her face with her palm. She felt a deep smile spread across her lips, one she had never worn before. It was, without a doubt, a sincere smile—the first in a very long time.
Stella’s mood brightened significantly. For the first time in forever.
*
‘...I think she’s misunderstanding something.’
Seo-yeon shivered at the intense gaze Stella sent her way as she approached with a smile. She had felt it before, but Stella’s emotions were difficult to read. However, separate from those emotions, there was something Seo-yeon consistently felt.
A sense of kinship.
Stella was likely feeling something similar. That had to be why she was looking at her like that.
‘Hmm.’
Of course, Seo-yeon didn't know the exact reason. But she was certain Stella was laboring under some kind of misunderstanding.
‘Acting, huh.’
Thinking back on her conversations with Stella, it made sense. Stella couldn't recognize people properly, which likely had something to do with her condition. Seo-yeon had already confirmed this before filming.
‘Since Stella lives her life putting on a persona, does she think I’m doing the same?’
Perhaps. But Seo-yeon felt they were fundamentally different.
‘It probably has to do with me being tied to my past life.’
It might be a trait stemming from the fact that she hadn't "graduated" yet. Of course, this was all her own speculation, but regardless, her thoughts and Stella’s were surely different.
"I'm not sure."
"About what, Ju Seo-yeon?"
"It's nothing. More importantly, are you okay filming with Stella?"
"Of course, it doesn't matter."
Lee Ji-yeon spoke with a confident tone. She looked so bold that Seo-yeon almost clapped for her. However, despite that confidence, Seo-yeon thought it wouldn't be easy for Ji-yeon. The Stella who was currently smiling brightly was someone who had come here to completely dominate the scene. She was here to put her own acting above all else, rather than coordinating with her partner.
"Maybe it'll be okay since you're Yeon Seon-ye."
"...That sounds kind of offensive, you know?"
"No, I just mean you're good at acting in a way that complements your partner."
If nothing else, Seo-yeon believed in that. Her trust in 'Ramiel' was absolute.
‘No matter how much of a toxic viewer Stella might be.’
How many difficult people had Ji-yeon smiled through and handled in her past life? So, Seo-yeon could trust her to handle the acting, no matter what form it took. While she might not assert herself strongly, there was no one better than Ji-yeon at making her partner shine.
"That's not something you should say to a protagonist," Ji-yeon grumbled.
She then stood beside Jo Seo-hee. It would be a little while before Stella and Seo-yeon made their entrance. The scene would begin from the perspective of Michiko and Yeon Seon-ye as they participated in an auction featuring Western trade goods. Yuina would hear the news and arrive at the auction house later.
That was the start of this scene.
"Milady, is it truly alright for a humble servant like me to attend this auction? What if I am chased out?"
"Seon-ye, do stop your chattering. I am right beside you; who could possibly dare to chase you out?"
Jo Seo-hee delivered her lines and scanned the set. Her gaze eventually settled on where Stella and Seo-yeon were. Michiko didn't have much to do in this particular scene. This meant she could watch the two of them perform as an 'audience member.'
She was quite looking forward to it.
Stella and Ju Seo-yeon.
She had been a bit disappointed after seeing Stella’s actual personality, but Stella was still an actress capable of the star-like performance Jo Seo-hee so desperately craved.
"You will see many glittering things. Look forward to it; it is quite a sight to behold."
She spoke with a smile full of anticipation. That smile was certainly not mere acting. She was truly looking forward to the "jewels" she was about to see.